The Takeaway: Would Hamas complicate US plans for reset with Palestinians? Also: the back story on the spat between Israel and Jordan; Gulf post-COVID economic trends; Turkey’s Kurds; Egypt and Somalia; and more! Originals
Egypt sentences activist Sanaa Seif to 18 months in prison Seif, who had been in pretrial detention since June, was convicted Wednesday of spreading false news and misusing social media. Egypt
Ukraine rejects Iran's final report on downed passenger plane The Iranian government said last year's shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was the result of a human error. Iran
Palestinians receive first batch of vaccines through COVAX More than 60,000 doses of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines arrived in Ramallah on Wednesday. Palestine
Nasiriyah tensions ease as pope heads to Iraq Iraq's Nasiriyah has been the scene of violent protests recently, but calm has settled over the city with the prime minister's efforts to calm it. Iraq
Biden under pressure to reverse Trump's aid cuts in Yemen The Joe Biden administration faces growing calls from Democratic lawmakers and aid groups to reinstate funding to Houthi-held northern Yemen. Yemen
Sustainable agriculture technology can help Egypt’s water crisis The project of an Egyptian student consisting of using the Sinai environment for sustainable agriculture with the use of less water may be a solution to Egypt’s water scarcity problem. Originals
Decree on election court removes one obstacle for Palestinian elections Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a presidential decree to establish an election court, but many analysts say several obstacles that could derail the elections remain. Palestine
Israelis blame ultra-Orthodox for coronavirus pandemic Many secular Israelis express hatred towards the ultra-Orthodox, whom they blame for the continuing coronavirus pandemic. Israel
Disagreement in Israel over retaliation after attack on cargo ship Heads of security in Israel disagree on whether the country should retaliate against Iran for the attack on an Israeli-owned cargo ship in Oman Bay. Israel
Aid groups overwhelmed by needs and numbers of displaced Syrians In an attempt to alleviate the suffering of the displaced and as part of the winter response plan for the camps, Syrian humanitarian organizations are implementing different projects. But they have still failed to reach radical solutions. Syria
Egypt to introduce Judaism in schools Egypt’s Ministry of Education has approved a new school topic about the common values between the Abrahamic religions. Egypt
Attorney general says cabinet must weigh in before Israel donates vaccines In a blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit recommended that the relevant ministers be consulted before any vaccines are donated to other countries. Israel
Pentagon says one dead, two wounded in last week’s Syria strike The United States confirms the death of a militia fighter belonging to an Iran-backed group in a recent airstrike on Abu Kamal. Originals
Iraq passes law addressing women survivors of Yazidi genocide The landmark bill formally recognizes the Yazidi genocide and the trauma of sexual violence, but the community still faces grave security concerns and missing men, women and children. Iraq
WATCH: Pentagon releases video of Iran ballistic missile attack on Iraq air base More than a dozen ballistic missiles rained down on Ain al-Asad and Erbil air bases in Iraq last year after the United States killed Qasem Soleimani. Iraq
